Little Sister
by Felfrin
Summary: A new slayer is activated after Buffy dies, but takes her time in getting to Sunnydale. 9th chapter finished. Please r & r
1. Default Chapter

Normal. That's one thing I'll never get to be again. Suddenly, on my sixteenth birthday, some guy comes to my house and tells me that I'm a vampire slayer. I ask him if I can opt not to be and sort of laugh because... Vampires? They're not real! At least that's what I thought. That birthday was Hell. My dad died and so did my watcher guy. I guess I should start from the beginning.  
  
~*~*~  
  
"Rayne, honey! Hurry up! You're going to be late for school again!" Dad called from the bottom of the stairs. He had to drive me to school on his way to work everyday. I think he's really worried about himself being late and not so much me.  
  
"I'm almost finished Daddy!" I shouted back. I ran back into the bathroom from my bedroom and checked my hair and make up one last time. Then I grabbed my books and my jacket and hurried down the stairs.  
  
"How's my make up, Daddy?" I asked good humoredly. I knew he couldn't tell the difference between make up and no make up, but I always asked anyway.  
  
"Oh! It's beautiful, Honey," He said as he ushered me out the door. We jumped into his silver Chrysler Pacifica and drove off.  
  
"Only one week!" Daddy said. I looked at him funny.  
  
"Until what?" I asked.  
  
"Rayney! One week until your Sweet Sixteen! Have you decided who you're going to invite?" He asked. He wasn't really curious, he was just trying to start on conversation.  
  
"I don't know. Maria and Sandra definitely. Probably Mark and Dave, depending on if they're fighting with Maria and Sandra or not. I want to invite this new guy. His name is Evan," I smiled shyly.  
  
"Do you have a crush on this guy?" My dad smiled at me.  
  
"I don't know. It's only the second week of school. But he's in some of my classes. He's so adorable though! He's got these amazing blue eyes! Oh Daddy! If only you were a woman!" I laughed.  
  
"Right. Sorry I can't be. There's always Angela, though," He smiled wickedly. He knew that I hated his girl friend, Angela.  
  
"C'mon now! She's evil! She hates me! She's jealous of me or something! I don't know. She's too young for you. She's only twenty-six! She's not even old enough to pretend to be my mother!" I couldn't stand her. In everything that she did, she wanted to be better than me. She'd already tried to steal all of my friends. I was only in high school!  
  
"I don't know. Maybe you'll grow to love her. I know I have. She just... It takes time," He said sympathetically. I hated when he went on about Angela just trying to fit in or something. The woman was gorgeous. Her body could get her anything! Her mind on the other hand... That was something that needed work.  
  
We pulled up to the school and I quickly jumped out of the car before he fully stopped.  
  
"Rayne Marie!" He cried.  
  
"Sorry Daddy! I'm in a hurry! Love ya, gotta go, bye!" I closed the door and hurried into the school. I was already running a little late and I still had things to do before I went to class.  
  
I came up to my locker and began the combination. When I got it open, I looked in my mirror to make sure everything was still in place. My make up was still nice and my reddish blonde hair was still in place. That was a shocker!  
  
"Rayne!" I heard a voice call. I turned around to see my best friends, Maria Santiago and Sandra Anderson standing behind me.  
  
"That skirt looks so good on you!" Sandra complimented. I was wearing a black skirt with a burgundy shirt.  
  
"Thanks! Yours is nice too!" I replied. She was wearing a white skirt with a pink shirt. The outfit completely matched her blonde hair and light complexion.  
  
"What about Maria?" Maria said, feeling left out. She wore a dark green spaghetti strapped dress that stopped just above her knees. Her outfit matched her darker Hispanic skin.  
  
"You always look beautiful!" I said. "Let's get going though. I'm late!"  
  
"You're always late." Sandra looked at me like I was stupid.  
  
"Yeah... But I have things to do before I go to class!" I cried.  
  
"Like what?" Maria asked curiously. I closed my locker and began walking toward the gym  
  
"I have to talk to Coach Kerry because I didn't get my uniform yesterday! I can't see her after school because she's leaving early to get her hair done! You guys go to class. Make up some excuse for me, okay?" I looked at them hopefully.  
  
"Sure. Your dad got a flat tire at the corner of Johnson St. and Walker Ave!" Maria cried.  
  
"Stupid! That's a block away from the school! Her legs aren't broken! She could've walked!" Sandra yelled. Maria looked discouraged.  
  
"Sure! Tell him that. I don't care. I gotta go!" I ran down the hall and continued to the gym  
  
~*~*~  
  
Things had been so different. Cheerleading... friends. I had a life back then. If only I could still worry about trivial things like that. How's my hair? Is my make up still good? Does my outfit look cute and preppy or whorish and slutty? It still matters some, but I don't have time to take it into consideration. Oh well. But there's still more before we get to that. 


	2. Threats and Revenge

By the time I finished talking to the coach and getting my uniform and everything, I'd already missed first period. Kerry assured me that she would get the assignment that I missed and give my teacher an explanation as to why.  
  
I thanked her and left with a note to go to my second period. I hated Math. I was a junior and I was already in Calculus.  
  
I didn't understand it. I loved English with a passion and I loved to write stories, but I did horribly in class. But Math... I hated Math as much as I loved English, but I did well in the class, even if I didn't understand it.  
  
Just as Mrs. Barrera called my name on the role, I walked in the door.  
  
"Rayne Summers?" She called.  
  
"Here!" I called, handing her the note and finding my seat. She gave me a look of disgust and went on with the role. She hated all athletes. But most of all, she hated cheerleaders. I was going to have to work hard in her class that year.  
  
"Hey Gorgeous," Mark Jones whispered from behind me. I gave him the finger and he cringed in false pain.  
  
"Sandra," I said, plain and simple. 'Be true, bastard!' I thought to myself. I really didn't like Mark. Dave was a sweetheart though. I smiled at Dave and he nodded in response.  
  
"How was last night?" I asked Dave, referring to his date with Maria the night before. Dave Sanchez was hopelessly in love with Maria. I couldn't blame him. She was a really sweet girl and he was a sweet guy. They were made for each other.  
  
"It was nice," Dave said. He didn't say many things. He was still shy around me. I didn't know why. I'd known him since I was ten. I smiled at him.  
  
"Miss Summers! Are you in this class to socialize or for the knowledge I am here to teach you?" Mrs. Barrera snapped. I shrunk in my seat.  
  
"Of course she's here to learn!" My cousin, Karl, piped in.  
  
"I wasn't asking you Mr. Matthews! Now... Where was I?" Mrs. Barrera turned around and went back to the bored. She began writing problems on the board. That class was going to be work. I'd have to work twice as hard as everyone else to get a decent grade in there. At least I was planning on doing anything else that year.  
  
That hour seemed to be about six hours, but finally it ended. As soon as the bell rang, I picked up my things and quickly hurried for the door. However, I wasn't fast enough.  
  
"Miss Summers!" Mrs. Barrera called. I froze and slowly turned around.  
  
"Yes?" I asked innocently. Karl laughed and Mark gave me a vengeful look.  
  
"Can I have a word with you?" She asked. I walked over to her desk and waited for the room to clear.  
  
"I want you to know that there is no chance that you are going to get an "A" in my class. You can work harder than any body else and score the highest on everything. You will not have an "A" in here," Mrs. Barrera looked at my with her beady little black eyes. I stared back at her hatefully and defiantly.  
  
"Okay," I spat at her. I spun around then and walked out the door before she could say another word.  
  
_______________  
  
The next to classes went well. Chemistry was somehow easy for me. I understood everything and I was good at memorizing things. French was also an easy subject. I loved my teacher, Monsieur Massicotte and he favored me.  
  
After those classes, I had lunch with all of my crew. And then left the cafeteria with Karl. My friend Shawna came up to me with a look that said, "Oh my God! You are not gonna believe what just happened!"  
  
"What is it?" I asked curiously. Karl looked at her, puzzled.  
  
"Oh my God! You are so not gonna believe this!" She cried. She was so excited she didn't have time to breathe.  
  
"Try me," I said nonchalantly.  
  
"Mark Jones just broke up with Sandra!" She squealed. Shawna'd had a crush on Mark since she'd known him. Karl's eyes widened in shock.  
  
"What the Hell is he thinking?" I cried out in disgust. "Where is he?"  
  
"In the cafeteria," She said, looking puzzled. I stalked into the cafeteria and found the table full of jocks. Mark was already sitting with another whore in his lap.  
  
"Markus Grant!" I shouted his first and middle names at him. "What the Hell were you thinking breaking up with her? You had no reason to!"  
  
"Calm down Gorgeous! I just wasn't feeling it anymore. If you know what I mean!" Mark and all of his jock friends laughed it his disgusting humor. Lila, the girl in his lap began kissing his neck.  
  
"Bastard! You disgust me! You're repulsive! Fucking die!" I shouted. I turned around and hurried out. Mark and all of his friends laughed behind me. I knew that Sandra would be in the nearest bathroom with Maria.  
  
As soon as I got to the door, I could hear Sandra ranting between sobs.  
  
"What was he thinking dumping ME?!" She cried. Maria comforted her.  
  
"I know. I know, Hon. It's not you. You're too good for him. You deserve better," Maria whispered.  
  
"Can you believe that jackass?" I said, storming into the bathroom. "He's already got that whore, Lila Morban, ALL over him! C'mon Sandy, you're so much better than him!" Sandra suddenly stopped crying.  
  
"You're right," She dried her eyes and stormed out. Maria and I followed her into the cafeteria and right up to Mark's table. Dave came up beside Maria and put his arm around her. She smiled softly and quickly turned her attention back to Sandra.  
  
"I don't know what the Hell I was thinking EVER going out with you... You good for nothing!" She fumed. Mark just looked at her in amazement. "I wasted eight months of my life on YOU! I thought I loved you! How the Hell could any one but that trash love you?" She pointed at Lila.  
  
"Hey, bitch! Calm down!" Mark cried angrily. He stood up.  
  
"I will calm down!" With that, Sandra threw milk all over Mark and Lila and turned around. Then she stopped and said over her shoulder.  
  
"Now... I've calmed down." Then she walked out. Everyone applauded her on her victory, including all of Mark's friends, who had all gotten up and were leaving that table and going to different tables.  
  
~*~*~  
  
See? Things were so simple. Of course, that was a bit crazy and usually things like that didn't happen often. But it was still more normal than now. 


	3. The Past Will Haunt You

After lunch the only thing that could be heard through the halls was about Sandra and Mark.  
  
"Mark dumped Sandra!"  
  
"Sandra threw milk all over him!"  
  
"Sandra and Lila got in a fight!"  
  
"No they didn't! I don't know where you heard that!"  
  
"This is craziness!" I cried in all of the confusion.  
  
"Loco!" Maria agreed.  
  
Straight ahead of us, there was a huge crowd congesting the hallway. I could just make out the form of Sandra in the middle of it.  
  
"Yeah! He had it coming to him!" Someone shouted. Sandra spotted us then and quickly pushed her way there. We looked around for an escape and entered the library without anyone seeing us.  
  
"I think you're safe for now," I said, looking through the window to the hall.  
  
"No one's going to come in here," A voice said deeper in the library. We turned around to see Evan sitting at a table.  
  
Sandra and Maria both looked at me and I squealed with delight. He was so adorable! He looked just like Ryan Phillippe! His beautiful blue eyes and his curly dirty blonde hair made my heart skip a beat every time I saw him.  
  
"Evan..." Sandra started. "Is this where you're always at? Because, you know, Rayne is always looking for you." I elbowed Sandra and Maria pushed me forward.  
  
"Yeah. Always! Why don't you two ever talk? You've got so many classes together!" Maria said.  
  
"In fact. I think we're going to deal with the crowd and leave you here to talk, Rayne. Call me later, okay?" Sandra said as she and Maria quickly hurried out of the library.  
  
I could feel my cheeks burning I was blushing so hard.  
  
"Well. That was certainly interesting. Shouldn't you be practicing to cheer on the football team or something? 'Go team Go!'" He mimicked.  
  
"That's not all that it's about," I said. "There's skill... I'm sure somehow... it takes skill."  
  
"Right. I thought it was just about having the perfect body," Evan said bitterly. He didn't seem to like cheerleaders.  
  
"You think my body is perfect? It's not!" I cried.  
  
"Sure it is. You know it is. If you didn't, then you wouldn't be on the squad. And next year you'll be captain. And then when you get out into the real world, you'll realize it's not just some silly football game that you can cheer at," He said. I walked over to the table he was sitting at and looked at the book he was reading.  
  
"Mythology? Like Greek Mythology?" I asked curiously.  
  
"No. It's actually on creatures," He said. I looked at him, puzzled. "You know. Like vampires and demons?"  
  
I laughed.  
  
"Oh! That kind of Mythology! Sounds interesting. I've never actually read about stuff like that. I stick to romance and all. I'm into Greek Mythology, though," I said.  
  
"Oh? Who's your favorite God?" He asked. He was somewhat amused to here that a cheerleader had non-materialistic interests.  
  
"Poseidon. I love the ocean. I don't know. He just always seemed so powerful. He's enchanting to me," I said.  
  
"I've always liked Achilles. He was a God with a weakness. I like to think of Gods as more or less human," Evan said.  
  
"That makes sense. So what do you think of me?" I asked. I was sorry after I asked. It was too soon to ask.  
  
"I think you're superficial and materialistic. But you're intelligent and intellectual. Not all cheerleaders are into Greek Mythology," Evan said honestly.  
  
"Wow. I guess people don't lie," I said, feeling somewhat discouraged.  
  
"What's that?" Evan asked, reading his book again.  
  
"The truth does hurt."  
  
"And what do you think of me?" He asked.  
  
"I don't know. I don't really know you. You're attractive, though," I said.  
  
"Superficial. Anyway, I have some work to do at home so I guess I'll see you around. And I'm not new to this school, Rayne," Evan said, packing up his things. My face turned red from embarrassment. "I've been here since the third grade. You just never took the time to notice me."  
  
"Evan... Evan Michaels?" I asked.  
  
"Yes. Ugly Evan? That's what you used to call me. I sort of look different now," He said bitterly.  
  
"I... I'm sorry. Wow," I said, amazed.  
  
"Yeah." He walked out and I was left in confusion.  
  
"How could I be such a superficial bitch?" I asked myself. This year was certainly different from any other.  
  
~*~*~  
  
Evan was the guy that I hated in elementary school. The one that liked me and tried to kiss me on the bus. The one I pushed down the stairs and busted his lip. How was I ever going to live that one down? I was never going to get the guy that I liked. How was I going to invite him to my birthday? He had to come! 


	4. Guilty and Confused

I thought about nothing but how I must've hurt Evan, for the next few days. But I also had to plan my party. And Calculus was already a living Hell.  
  
Somehow, I had to invite Evan. I wanted to apologize for everything. Hopefully he would accept my invitation and come. I wasn't sure though because he came to my tenth birthday party and my friend Steve beat him up.  
  
Sandra and Maria had given up on supporting me when I told them who Evan was.  
  
I wondered how he'd gotten rid of his horrible acne and his braces and his taped glasses. He'd been the biggest loser ever! And he'd been hideously ugly!  
  
"I think you're superficial and materialistic." Evan's words echoed in my head.  
  
'Wow!' I thought. 'Maybe I really am horrible! I'm such a bitch!'  
  
Sitting in my bed, thinking about that, I suddenly had the urge to call Evan. I looked through my 'little black book', which was red, and searched for his number. Luckily, the number was still in there from the fifth grade.  
  
I slowly dialed and waited for a ring. My heart jumped excitedly when it began to ring. However, it continued to ring and ring. Finally, the answering machine picked up.  
  
"Hi, this is Rayne Summers. I sort of needed to talk to Evan about something, but I guess I'll see him at school tomorrow," I said. I hung up the phone, discouraged.  
  
"So much for that bright idea," I whispered to myself. I turned off the light and went to sleep.  
  
_______________________  
  
"Rayne! You're gonna be late! Hurry up!" My dad called, once again, from the foot of the stairs.  
  
"Okay! Almost finished!" I called. I ran into the bathroom and looked into the mirror. My hair was a mess! I couldn't do anything with it! I combed it and wet it, but it wouldn't stay down, so finally I just put it up.  
  
I grabbed my things and hurried into the kitchen. I picked up my dad's wallet and a Nutri-Grain bar.  
  
It would've been normal. But something fell out of his wallet when I picked it up.  
  
I looked at it strangely and flipped it over. On the other side was a picture of a pretty blonde girl. 'Who's this?' I thought to myself.  
  
"Rayne!" Dad called impatiently. I quickly put the picture back into his wallet and hurried out, forgetting all about it.  
  
________________________  
  
When I got to school, Maria and Sandra attacked me.  
  
"We have to go over the party! Who we're inviting and decorations! This is LA, baby! It's gotta be crazy!" Sandra cried.  
  
"A bunch of people were looking for you this morning," Maria said slyly.  
  
"Oh yeah?" I asked curiously. "Like who?"  
  
"Mark! That bastard!" Sandra shouted angrily.  
  
"Yeah. Mark, Karl, Shawna, and Evan," Maria revealed.  
  
"Evan?" I asked, very alarmed. My heart rate began to increase.  
  
"Yeah. Shawna wanted to know about Mark. I don't know what Mark wanted. Karl was asking about the party..." Maria trailed off.  
  
"And Evan?" I asked anxiously. I handed been so excited about a guy since I'd been with Eric.  
  
"He didn't say. It seemed casual. Nothing urgent. He said to meet him in the library," Sandra informed. They were both already bored with the subject.  
  
"Okay, I'll see him later then," I said. I wanted to see him at that very moment, but my best friends did come first.  
  
"Alright. I was thinking of inviting you two, definitely. Then Dave, Shawna, and Karl. Hopefully Evan will come," I said thoughtfully.  
  
"I was thinking Scott, Melody, and Kevin," Sandra said.  
  
"You're with Scott now?" I asked dreamily. Sandra and Maria exchanged knowing looks. They seemed to understand my state of mind and thoughtfulness.  
  
"They were all over each other this morning! You should've seen it!" Maria piped in.  
  
"Who do you want to invite, Maria?" Sandra asked irritably.  
  
"Eric, Denise, Steve, and Mark," Maria said.  
  
"Why Mark?" I asked.  
  
"He's always been at your parties! And no matter how much we hate him, we always have fun with him!" Maria defended herself.  
  
"Okay. Those will all work. Right out the invitations then." They both looked at me strangely.  
  
"You've hated Eric since he dumped you for Jenny," Sandra said. They thought I was an idiot, but I didn't care.  
  
I don't remember much after that. I know I walked away in some sort of a daze, though.  
  
There was only one goal I had in mind. However, planning my party was not it.  
  
~*~*~  
  
Dazed over a guy I'd known my whole life. I was pathetic. Sixteen in two days and everything in my mind except for Evan was a big blur. He was the only thing I wanted to see. What could he possibly want with ME? 


	5. Quick Appearance

AN: Sorry it took so long to get this chapter up, but the power was off for a few days because of the hurricane. But here's chapter 5... hopefully you'll enjoy it.  
  
~*~*~  
  
I woke up to the ringing of my phone. I looked at the clock to see it was still one in the morning.  
  
"Hello?" I groggily mumbled into the receiver.  
  
"Rayne?" A voice asked. It was so full of energy to be so late.  
  
"Evan?" I asked, sitting up. "It's so early." Everything got black and spun for a second. I groaned.  
  
"Are you okay?" he asked, some what concerned.  
  
"Yeah. I sat up too fast. So... why are you calling?" I asked, trying to get to the point.  
  
"I heard something and sort of saw something outside. Look out your window," he instructed.  
  
I walked over to my window and looked down on the street.  
  
"I don't see anything," I said.  
  
"I don't know. I saw something," he said.  
  
"Oh well. That's not all that you wanted, though," I said, sensing his feelings. There was a lot more he had to say.  
  
"Yeah. Remember the other day? When I asked you to come to the library?" Evan said.  
  
"Yeah..." I thought back to that day.  
  
~*~*~  
  
I hurried to the library. I knew that I was going to be late or completely miss first bell. There was something in me that didn't care, though.  
  
Walking into the library, I saw no one.  
  
"Hello?" I called. I hoped my intentions were not failed.  
  
The librarian stepped out of her office and looked at me.  
  
"Miss Summers, whatever are you doing in here?" She asked, suspicious of me.  
  
"I was looking for Evan. He told me to meet him in here," I said.  
  
"Back here!" Evan called from behind the bookshelves.  
  
I set my books on the table and hurried over to where he was helping file the books.  
  
"You asked me to come here," I said. He didn't look up.  
  
"You called me last night. I was curious to hear what you had to say," he replied.  
  
"Oh, yeah," I said slowly. "I wanted to apologize."  
  
"For what? You can't apologize for the past. It's already over. You can't apologize for being shallow because that's just who you are. Are you apologizing for wasting my time?" He looked at me angrily. At that moment there was more pain in his eyes than I'd ever seen in anyone before.  
  
"I'm apologizing for proving you wrong. Remember my first birthday in my dad's house? It was the fifth grade. You said I had potential to be so much better than what I was. You said that I had potential to be... something. I've amounted to a snotty cheerleader who doesn't care about anyone but herself and her credit card. I realized that last night. I'm sorry," I looked at him, my eyes filling with tears.  
  
"You can still be something," he said, softening somewhat. "What else did you want?"  
  
"I wanted to know if you would come to my birthday party," I said, the tears freely streaming down my cheeks.  
  
"Feeling guilty?" Evan sneered.  
  
"No. I mean... yes. But this isn't an attempt to justify my wrongdoing. I can't and I know that. But it would mean a lot to me if maybe you could at least consider coming," I said softly.  
  
"I'll think about it," he said. The pain in his eyes was replaced with sympathy. I turned around and began to walk away, my head hanging low.  
  
"Rayne..." Evan said softly, putting his hand on my shoulder.  
  
"What?" I asked, holding in my sobs.  
  
"Don't look so defeated. You've won," he said. He awkwardly pulled me toward him. I buried my head in his shoulder and let go of it all. I cried through all of my morning classes and during that whole time, Evan held me close and never tried to stop me. In fact, I think he was crying at one point, too.  
  
~*~*~  
  
"I remember," I said. That was the first time I'd ever cried in front of someone. For me, that was somewhat of an emotional breakthrough.  
  
"I'm coming to your party," he said proudly. I smiled.  
  
"That's wonder-Oh shit!" I cut myself off.  
  
"What? You don't want me to come?" Evan asked, worried.  
  
"No. I saw something outside," I said. There was another black flash in the neighbor's yard. It looked just like the first one.  
  
"Yeah. It's probably just people being people," Evan concluded. "Go to sleep. Today's your birthday!"  
  
I opened my bedroom window just then.  
  
"Hello!" I called out, sticking my head out into the darkness of the night.  
  
"Rayne! Be careful," Evan warned. I felt something push on the back of my neck and before I knew what was happening, I was laying in my front yard after falling two stories. Everything got blurry and then went black.  
  
~*~*~  
  
It may have been a few seconds or maybe a few minutes, but I wasn't unconscious for very long.  
  
"Rayne!" I heard Evan shout in my phone. I groggily looked around for the phone. A sharp pain shot through the back of my skull and there were white flashes in front of my eyes.  
  
I turned around to see a tall and mysterious man holding my phone.  
  
"Who are you?" I asked, holding the back of my head.  
  
"You're Rayne," he said knowingly.  
  
"How do you figure? Could it be the guy on MY phone calling MY name? Who the hell are you?" I snapped sarcastically as I took my phone from him.  
  
"Evan. I'm okay. I'll see you later. Bye," I hung up.  
  
"He's going to be worried," the guy said.  
  
"He already is," I said. "Who are you?" As I stood up, everything began to spin. I felt his arms around me as I began to fall.  
  
"Who am I? Right now, that's not a concern. You'll know soon enough I'm afraid," he said somewhat sadly.  
  
"Take me inside," I instructed.  
  
"Aren't we demanding," he said in monotone. "Can I come in?"  
  
"I don't see how I'm going to get inside without you. Take me in," I said. "My room is upstairs. It's the first door on the right."  
  
He carried me up the stairs and laid me down on my bed. He then pulled my red chair up next to my bed and sat in it.  
  
"There's something about you," he said.  
  
"What are you talking about?" I asked.  
  
"My friend, Cordelia, has been having visions about you," he said.  
  
"What about me?" I asked curiously. I tried to sit up, but he pushed me back down.  
  
"Be careful today, Rayne. They're after you and I can't be around to save you all the time. I don't know why they're after you, but I'm sure there's a reason," he informed. "Today's your birthday. How old are you?"  
  
"Sixteen."  
  
He looked at me strangely and his eyes saddened. This guy, whoever he was, had a deep, dark past. There was darkness in his soul. There was good and there was evil in him.  
  
"Be careful," he said. "And take this." He handed me a small box. I opened it and pulled out a large, silver cross necklace.  
  
"I can't take this from you. I don't even know you," I said, giving it back to him.  
  
"That's fine," he said, a spark in his eyes. "You need to sleep. It's a big day." He gently pushed my lids over my eyes.  
  
"What pushed me out of my window?" I asked.  
  
"A vampire," he said. However, I was too tired to think or even respond, so I turned over and went to sleep. 


	6. Til Death Do Us Part

I forgot this in the 1st chapter... so I'll do it now. Disclaimer: I own nothing from BTVS or Angel. I DO own Rayne and Evan, however.  
  
AN: Hopefully you like it. I know it probably didn't get interesting until last chapter, but here's more. Enjoy ^_^ And I'm sorry it's took so long to finish this chapter, but it's done now!  
  
~*~*~  
  
I woke up at about eleven Saturday morning. I felt strange, but everything looked normal. Sitting up, I realized why I felt strange when the room began to spin. Letting a small cry escape my lips, my head fell back down to the pillow. Grabbing the back of my skull, I remembered being pulled out of my bedroom window and coming to some while later, lying in my front yard. Then I remembered that mysterious handsome guy who'd been there when I awoke.  
  
Slowly, I attempted to sit up again. The pain shot through my head, but I fought it until I was in a sitting position. For a moment, everything was dark and a tingling sensation went through my entire body.  
  
After the spinning subsided and my vision was clear, I looked around. The first thing I noticed was that my chair was still next to my bed. The next thing I noticed was that my window had been closed. I knew I couldn't have done it, so I assumed the guy had.  
  
Looking at my nightstand, I smiled. There on the edge of the table sat a small box. Taking the box in my hand, I opened it to reveal the large silver cross. Looking back to the nightstand, I saw a small, white business card. On it were a phone number and an address that was not far from where I lived. It also said that the company was Angel Inc. On the bottom of the card, there was one thing that had been written and not typed. 'Ask for Angel or Cordelia'  
  
Taking one more look around my room, I saw that my phone had been placed on the charger, as well. This guy, whoever he was, had intrigued me greatly. I put on the necklace that he'd given to me and I thought of it as a birthday present. After doing that, I slowly made my way to the bathroom, using the wall to both hold me up and guide me.  
  
In the hallway, I came across a sleepy Angela. I remembered that she slept as late as she possibly could and for her, even eleven, was early. She gave me an evil look and I sneered back.  
  
"So it's your birthday. You're sixteen now. Almost a woman. That isn't going to make your daddy love you anymore," Angela sneered jealously. I smiled, although everything was spinning.  
  
"No. It only shows that you could never be my mother because I'm sixteen and you're twenty-six and Daddy is thirty-six. You were ten when my daddy was twenty. That sounds a lot like statutory rape to me," I sneered. She looked at me angrily and went back to the bedroom to probably go back to sleep. I continued into the bathroom and quickly sat on the toilet seat.  
  
As soon as everything stopped spinning, I was able to stand and lean on the sink.  
  
"So this is my birthday?" I asked my reflection. "How wonderful. The world is spinning and that bitch monster decided to spend the night last night. She's going to ruin it. This is a beautiful cross, though." I stared at the cross and soon spaced out.  
  
~*~*~  
  
Hours later, many people had begun to arrive for my party and everything seemed to be going better. Angela was still being an evil bitch, but even she was forced to be nice. Everything was set up and everyone was in a good mood. Evan did pull me aside at one point to ask about earlier that morning.  
  
"Rayne, can I talk to you?" Evan asked. I nodded and we went up to talk in my bedroom while everyone else stayed downstairs.  
  
"What is it?" I asked, somewhat innocently. I'd taken some Tylenol about three times already, but my head was still throbbing and everyone once in a while, there would be white flashes or spinning, or darkness.  
  
"What happened this morning?" He asked, concerned. "You opened your window and it sounded like you fell and hit the ground. Then you don't answer me for a while. Then you finally do and you sound confused, not even yourself."  
  
"I... I don't know," I said. I didn't want to lie to him. "I fell. That's all I remember. My head... I hurt it pretty bad. Everything keeps spinning." I didn't have to tell him everything, but at least one part of the truth to keep it from seeming too suspicious.  
  
"Where did you hit it? How hard? Is there a bump? A cut?" Evan sounded worried. I indicated the spot in which it hurt and gave him a look that said, 'I'm trusting you, but please be gentle'. He smiled and gently began to feel it.  
  
The pain was almost over bearing, but I knew that he wasn't trying to hurt me, so I pretended as best as I could that it didn't hurt. He messaged the area that the pain was coming from.  
  
"Does this hurt?" He asked, gently running his fingers over it.  
  
"No." I winced, choking back my tears. My eyes were watering and I was hoping he wasn't going to look at my face.  
  
"There's a bump. And there's a cut. You don't really want anybody to see it, but you should wrap it up. Since you're not going to, I guess you should just take some Tylenol," He concluded.  
  
"I've taken six already!" I cried out, turning toward him. He saw the pain in my face and the tears streaming down my cheeks and frowned.  
  
"I'm sorry. You shouldn't have lied to me. I would've stopped," He said softly. I wiped my eyes and smiled.  
  
"It's fine. Someone had to find out what's wrong with it. It might as well have been you," I said. "Let's go back downstairs before they start to think we were eaten alive by evil cake Martians or something," I said, smiling.  
  
"You're not yourself right now," Evan said. "But let's go."  
  
"Sorry that Steve's here," I said, looking into his eyes. "I promise nothing's going to happen, though."  
  
With that, we went down to enjoy the party. That is, as best as I was able, I enjoyed the party.  
  
~*~*~  
  
The party was great. I got a lot of jewelry and accessories and money. The best presents were probably the laptop and cell phone I received from my dad, though.  
  
Everyone got along. I made sure that Steve was clear that Evan was there and that he wasn't going to bother him. They started talking and when everyone was leaving, they walked out together as if they were the best of friends. After I realized that no one had stayed to help clean up, I was a little bit upset, but I didn't care.  
  
Throughout the entire day, my head had still hurt, but every time I did something that wasn't me, Evan was there to make up some excuse. At one point, I remember everything started spinning, like in some sort of time warp or something and it didn't stop for a few minutes. That was probably the worst, because after it was over, I went and threw up in the bathroom.  
  
As I was about to start cleaning up, my dad asked me to come upstairs with him. I followed him into the bedroom and he closed the door, I guessed so that Angela wouldn't hear him. He indicated that I should sit on the bed next to him, and I did so.  
  
"What is it Daddy?" I said, somewhat excited and confused. He smiled and then looked down, sadly.  
  
"I know you've had to have seen this," He said, opening his wallet and pulling out the picture of that pretty blonde girl.  
  
"Yeah. I saw it a few days ago. I didn't mean to look at it, but it fell out of your wallet when I picked it up. I'm really sorry, I wasn't trying to be nosy," I said, upset that he'd caught me snooping.  
  
"No, it's fine. I'm glad you've seen it," He looked up and his eyes were glassy. I tilted my head to the side, like a confused puppy would.  
  
"Daddy? What is it?" I asked, on the verge of tears myself. I'd never seen my dad cry before. That wasn't something he did. My dad was supposed to be strong and here he was, my rock, breaking down.  
  
"She was your sister, Rayney. Her name was Buffy," He began, pulling me closer. "She was a wonderful girl. But there were some things. She burned down the gym in the old high school. So her and your mom moved to Sunnydale."  
  
"You never told me that I had a sister. Why?" I asked, my feelings hurt.  
  
"There was something about you girls. I don't know. Something wasn't right. Like, you weren't meant to be together or something. So we sent you to live with your Nana and Buffy stayed with us. You never knew about each other," He paused and I looked at him in disbelief. "But now she's dead and there's no reason in hiding it from you."  
  
"There was NEVER a reason to hide it from me!" I cried, pulling away from him and standing up. "I've trusted you with everything in this world and you can't tell me one detail in my life! 'Oh yeah! By the way, you have a sister. She doesn't live that far away, but don't plan on meeting her because it would be awkward for me and your now deceased mother and we like being selfish!' That's just great, Daddy!" I stormed out of his room and pushed past Angela, who was coming out of the bathroom. I went downstairs to begin cleaning, my head throbbing the worst it had since I'd hurt it.  
  
~*~*~  
  
"Come on, Cyrus! I don't want her to kill me!"  
  
"I doubt that she will," An old man with a British accent told the other, younger man, in the dark. "The one thing I am certain of is that you will not kill her, though."  
  
"There's no intention," The younger man said, walking under a street light. In the light, he looked to be about twenty years old and very handsome. He had dark brown hair and dark, almost black, eyes on his pale skin. He had somewhat large lips and his nose was small for a male. He was very muscular, his triceps bulged in his arms. "I honestly prefer sheep blood."  
  
"That would be a good thing, Christopher," Cyrus said. After that statement, they stopped in front of Rayne's house. Cyrus looked up to see the lights in the living room and kitchen were on. Rayne was in the kitchen, her head hanging low.  
  
"She's about to take the trash out back," Christopher said, indicating that they should go into the backyard.  
  
"Let's go," Cyrus said. The two of them quietly sneaked to the back, as Rayne slowly made her way to the back door.  
  
~*~*~  
  
I'd finished cleaning in the dining room and living room quickly, but the kitchen was going to be a pain. And as hard as I'd tried, I couldn't stop my tears from falling. My own father, the one person I loved more than anyone, had been lying to me my entire life!  
  
Lost in thought and surrounded by self-pity, I carried the first trash bag out back. I opened up the trashcan and put the bag in. Then I sat on the steps and began to cry again. There was a sound like footsteps coming from the side of the yard, so I looked up to see who was there.  
  
"Hello?" I called into the night. At the sound of my voice, a handsome young man, older than myself, appeared from around the side of the house. He smiled and I just stared at him.  
  
"Can I help you?" I asked, somewhat afraid and somewhat curious. He seemed very mysterious and at the same point, not.  
  
"Yes. I was wondering if you could possibly interest me in something to eat," He said. He had a clear, melodious voice and all of his words seemed to flow smoothly.  
  
"Um... I can see what we've got. What would you like?" I asked, now more cautious than anything else. He began advancing toward me and I held my ground, but there was fear in my eyes and heart. My head was also hurting, but I didn't want him to know that I was injured for some reason.  
  
"I would love some..." He whispered in my ear. "Blood!" At that, he grabbed me and threw me to the ground. However, he didn't throw me violently, but a small gasp escaped my lips as my head hit the ground. The way his face looked was something I'd never seen before. He looked evil and angry. There were large wrinkles in his forehead between his eyes, which were then yellow, instead of brown. He also had fangs. Staring up at him in horror, I started to cry again.  
  
"Come on, Rayne!" A male voice with a British accent called out to me. "Don't be so afraid. Rush at him! But don't kill him." I looked for a body to go with this voice, but there was none. Looking back at the guy, I knew what I had to do.  
  
"You're-you're a fucking vampire!" I cried out. 'Damn it!' I thought. 'That's NOT what I was supposed to do!'  
  
"That's right, Rayne. Kill me!" He shouted angrily, rushing toward me. I decided to go at him, too.  
  
"Punch him in his face!" The British voice cried. Doing as I was instructed, I punched the vampire in the face. He fell to the ground and stared up at me in amazement. I looked at my fist and then stared at him in amazement. That blow felt so powerful. I'd never felt so strong before.  
  
"Wow. She's got it!" The vampire cried to the darkness. I guessed he was talking to the other voice. Rushing at him again, I began to pummel his face. Right then left and right then left. My arms were flying faster than I knew what to do with them. The vampire cried out and pushed me off of him.  
  
"Cyrus! She's finished!" He cried.  
  
"Yes, I suppose you're right, Christopher. She's had her fun. Now we explain," The British man said, coming out of the darkness. He looked like an old mage. His hair and beard were long, gray, and scraggly. He wore a long, dark robe that went all the way to his feet and dragged on the ground. I looked around in confusion.  
  
"How do you start something like that? How's about I just summarize the whole story?" The vampire, Christopher, asked. His face had turned back to it's original, human form, except that there was blood and cuts all over his face from my blows.  
  
"You do that, Christopher. Then I'll give detail to whatever she wants to know," The British man, Cyrus, said. I was afraid.  
  
"I don't want to know anything!" I cried. "I want you to leave! This is just a dream!" I began to celebrate as I thought all of it was just a dream. "My daddy didn't really lie to me! I don't have a sister, so she can't be dead! I didn't hit my head this morning! I'm not really about to die from head trama! And you're not here! You know why? Because vampires aren't real!"  
  
"This is very real," Cyrus said sternly. "And this is very serious, so please listen." Surprised at the tone in his voice, I sat on the steps of the porch and listened.  
  
"There are vampires and there are slayers," Christopher began. "The original slayer died... again. Now the council has decided to make you slayer. As in, you can't decide not to be. The only way that you won't be the slayer anymore is if you die. Slayers slay demons, such as vampires and anything that doesn't look normal. You have to train with your Watcher. Cyrus here, is your Watcher. He teaches you what you need to know and helps you stay fit. Do you know how to slay certain creatures?"  
  
"No..." I said softly. He grinned and Cyrus pulled out a silver dagger and a wooden stake. Christopher took them in his hands.  
  
"With the knife, you would stab a demon in the heart. This wouldn't do anything to a vampire, except give them a lot of pain. But it would heal. Unless you were to cut their head off. Then they would turn to dust and they'd be dead. The same thing happens if you stake them in the heart," Christopher explained.  
  
"Wait. I HAVE to do this? There's no option? I HAVE to slay these fictional characters?! And I'm really strong?"  
  
"Super human strength," Cyrus corrected.  
  
"And he's a Watcher thing? What do they do? Watch me look like an idiot?"  
  
"No, actually, he would rarely be there when you're fighting," Christopher said. "And we're not fictional."  
  
"I don't believe this," I said.  
  
"Okay. That's fine. You can go on not believing for the rest of your life. You'll go on killing vampires and demons and getting hurt. But the getting hurt won't matter because you heal fast now. But this will all be fake to you, even though this is your life now," Christopher said sarcastically.  
  
"What happened to the slayer? Who was she?" I asked curiously.  
  
"She closed a portal to a Hell Dimension by throwing herself into it. This was on the Hell Mouth... Sunnydale," Cyrus explained.  
  
"Sunnydale? Who was the slayer?" I asked again.  
  
"A girl by the name of Buffy Summers. She was the greatest slayer of all time. She'd died before and came back. This time, she wasn't so lucky," Christopher explained. My jaw dropped.  
  
"My sister was the slayer?!" I cried out. Cyrus smiled and nodded.  
  
"And now you're following in her footsteps," He said.  
  
~*~*~  
  
So my life took that unexpected turn. It was change and it was certainly different. Hadn't I asked for change? That wasn't exactly what I'd been asking for, though. The rest of my life spent like that, just hoping that I wouldn't die. And I was following in my sister's footsteps and I didn't even know her! But, as crazy as my life would now be, that night was far from over. 


	7. Ending Reality

After hearing all of that nonsense about vampire slayers and evil demonic creatures, I had to just laugh. Christopher and Cyrus both looked at me skeptically, but I continued to laugh, as tears began to roll down my cheeks. Then I was crying. They then looked at me quizzically.  
  
"This is real," I cried. "It was funny to me and then the tears just came and the reality of this something that is so not real set in." Cyrus nodded with understanding.  
  
"Yes. Now you've accepted it," He said. I shook my head.  
  
"No! I haven't accepted this as ME! It can't be! I know that it's real, but no," I objected. Christopher glared at me.  
  
"Now that you've accepted this as reality, there's something you have to do," He explained. "There's a demon in your home. She is getting ready to strike. You have to save your father."  
  
Everything in me dropped then. My soul, my spirits, my heart, my face, and everything in my body. I'd never felt so much pain in one day, I'd never cried so much in my entire life. Right at that moment, when he told me about my dad, all I could think about was how I needed to apologize. There was a sinking feeling in my very existence that something wasn't going to be right. I pulled myself up and walked into the house.  
  
"Daddy!" I called. There was no answer. "Daddy!" I was screaming frantically. "Daddy! Daddy!" I ran to the foot of the stairs and saw him at the top of the landing. Relieved, I began to ascend.  
  
"What's wrong, babe?" He asked. His voice was a little strange, but that was because it was lined with sorrow. His first daughter had died and he'd just had an argument with his remaining one. Meeting him at the top of the stairs, I hugged him closely.  
  
"Daddy! I thought I'd lost you! This guy, a Watcher, he said that you were in trouble. Actually, it was Christopher that told me this," I explained happily.  
  
"Cyrus? Christopher? Who are these people, Rayne?" He asked curiously.  
  
"The Watcher and the vampire?" the voice of Angela said from the darkness of the doorway to my dad's bedroom. "That would make you the Slayer." There was a hissing noise, and a green, plant looking thing with lots of arms, or vines, came out of the darkness.  
  
"Daddy!" I cried. He was too shocked to do anything, so I was forced to drag him down the stairs. She, or it, was getting closer, I could hear it. I could feel it's hot breath on the back of my neck. Turning into the kitchen and slamming the door behind us, Dad finally regained control.  
  
"What the hell was that?!" He cried out in alarm. I hugged him again.  
  
"That was the thing I was supposed to be saving you from. I think it's Angela, Daddy. You've been dating a demon for a year and a half?!" I cried. Pulling one of the chairs up to the door, I put it under the doorknob. I knew it wasn't going to hold for long because the plant creature had already put a hole in the door and was reaching through with one of its vines.  
  
"We have to get back," He said, trying to remain calm. I knew he was having trouble because his veins were popping out and his eyes were bulging. It reminded me of a heart attack, except that he wasn't clutching his chest and coughing.  
  
"Cyrus!" I called outside. "Help us!" Hearing my plea, he came into the kitchen just as 'Angela' broke completely through the door.  
  
"Here!" He shouted, tossing me a dagger.  
  
I remember getting slapped by one of those vines and flying into the wall. I felt the floor and the knife in my hand. My vision had temporarily left me. My head had hit the wall so hard that I couldn't see. I cried out in pain, but didn't have time to worry about it. Then there was a splatter of something warm. Then I opened my eyes to find that my vision had returned. However, that was the last thing I wanted to see after opening my eyes.  
  
There on the floor was my father's body. The only difference was that his head was lying next to his body, rather than on top of his shoulders. Waves of fear, sorrow, and fury all flowed through me at the same time. I looked at the knife in my hand and the blood of my father that was splattered on me. I felt sick and I wanted to just heave and throw up everything, but I couldn't. I didn't have time.  
  
"Rayne!" Christopher shouted from the outside. "Kill the bitch!" Getting to my feet and realizing my goal, I rushed at her.  
  
I cut off one of her vines and she hissed in pain as the green blood flowed onto the floor. For the first time, I saw her razor sharp teeth as her mouth literally shot at me. However, before I knew what was going on, Cyrus jumped in front of me.  
  
He cried out in pain as the teeth dug into his skin. His eyes, filled with power and pain at the same time, locked on to mine.  
  
"Now!" He shouted, with his last bit of energy, as he fell to the floor. Listening to his words, I stabbed the creature in her heart and felt the green blood ooze over my hand.  
  
Letting go of the knife, I stepped back and smiled savagely at her.  
  
"There you go, you fucking bitch!" I cried out. "You've ruined my life for one and a half fucking years! You've killed my father and my Watcher all in the same time. Now I've stolen your god damn life!"  
  
I laughed hysterically as I fell to the ground, the knees of my white pants soaking up the blood of my father and my Watcher.  
  
For the longest time, I just sat there and cried and laughed. I'd ridden myself of her, but now I had to get away. I couldn't be found with two dead bodies and what looked like a murdered plant. I wasn't a murderer and I had a world to save, now. After a long pause, staring at the fearful expression on my father's face, I went upstairs and grabbed a few belongings. Then I changed my clothes and put the bloody ones into my bag. I then walked outside and began walking towards the nearest gas station with Christopher by my side. 


	8. Starting Over

Christopher and I didn't have to walk far because there was a gas station on the corner at the end of my street. The place was deserted, all except for the clerk inside the building. It may as well have been deserted though, because the guy was knocked out, almost literally. He slept on the counter, his arms hanging over the sides, a trail of drool came from his mouth and trailed down to a puddle that was forming around his chin.  
  
"Pay phones. We need to use the pay phones!" I said frantically. Those were the first words either of us had said since we'd left me house. Christopher patiently pointed straight ahead.  
  
"They're right there," he said. I finally made my thoughts stop racing and looked ahead about ten feet to see three pay phones along the wall of the gas station. I smiled and blushed with embarrassment.  
  
"Sorry... I must be blind or something," I stammered, hastily walking to the phones.  
  
"Who are you planning on calling?" He asked curiously. I pulled a business card out of my pocket and showed it to him. He slowly read it over.  
  
"Cordelia Chase?" He asked. I shrugged.  
  
"I don't know. I met a guy and I woke up this morning and his card was on my nightstand. I just took it because he seemed friendly and I figured I would be able to trust him. Too bad I don't know his name..."  
  
"His name is Angel. Every vampire knows who Angelus is," Christopher said. "For a long time, he was one of the most feared vampires in the world. No creature dared to cross his path. Then he killed a gypsy, her people got their revenge by giving him his soul back, and he got soft. He moved to the United States and slowly made his way to California. I think he followed the slayer to Sunnydale and no one really knows what happened there. He came back here though and now he's the good guy killing all the bad guys."  
  
"I thought Angel was a girl. I figured that he hadn't bothered to give me his name. Oh well. I'm calling him," I said as I picked up the phone and put in thirty-five cents. I then dialed the number.  
  
It rang six times before somebody finally picked up. The voice was female and sounded very tired.  
  
"Angel Inc., how may I help you?" It asked.  
  
"Cordelia?" I asked, hoping I was correct. She snickered.  
  
"No, this isn't Cordelia. She's not in right now, but I can take a message if you'd like," She said. She sounded very friendly.  
  
"Um... No, that's okay. Can I speak to Angel then?" I asked.  
  
"Sure... If you don't mind waiting, I can go and find him. I know he's somewhere around here. This may take a while," She replied, patiently awaiting my answer.  
  
"That's fine. I'm really NOT going anywhere for a while," I said. She then put the phone down and walked away, the click of her high heels slowly fading into nothingness.  
  
"So you're on hold?" Christopher asked. I turned to look at him and smiled softly.  
  
"Sort of, but not really. I'm waiting, but she didn't put me on hold," I answered. For the first time all night, I began to study him.  
  
Christopher was very handsome. He had these dark eyes that made my stomach fill with butterflies every time I looked into them. Evan didn't have dark eyes, but his heart was beautiful and his eyes had the same affect on me, although I would have preferred them darker. But blue was fine.  
  
Getting back to Christopher. He had the body of a God. It was toned and just perfect. He wasn't too muscular, like a bodybuilder, but he wasn't scrawny either. I wanted his body in so many ways. Of course, I wasn't sure why I was having that feeling because I was still a virgin and I didn't know what that was like. It was the first time I'd ever wanted someone in that way. He had major sex appeal, that I had to admit.  
  
"Is there something on my face?" Christopher asked, smiling. When he said that, I realized I'd been staring at his face for quite a while. I could feel my cheeks getting hot from embarrassment again.  
  
"Sorry, I didn't mean to be rude," I apologized. He laughed at me and I looked at him funny.  
  
"Hello?" A male voice called into the receiver. I hesitated before speaking because the voice didn't sound familiar.  
  
"Hello?" He called again. "This is Angel."  
  
"Hi... Sorry. Um... You sound so different on the phone. This is Rayne. I-uh-you gave me your card and told me to call whenever-whenever I needed something," I stammered. He grunted.  
  
"Yeah, I remember. Well then Miss Rayne, what is it that you need?" He asked nicely.  
  
"You said to watch out. I tried. I tried really hard. But it's not that easy. My dad's girlfriend, she was a monster or something. She turned into this evil plant thing. Her blood was green. But-she killed him. She killed my daddy and-" Christopher covered my mouth and shook his head.  
  
"Don't tell him about Cyrus," He whispered.  
  
"And what, Rayne?" Angel asked.  
  
"Nothing. But now I have nowhere to stay. I was hoping you would let me go there. I'll try to bother you as little as possible. I'll have school to deal with. And I'll get a job to support myself. All I need is just somewhere to stay because I have no parents," I pleaded, my eyes beginning to fill with tears again.  
  
"Oh Rayne! That's fine! You can stay with me and there's no reason to get a job. I'll take care of you as long as you need me to. When are you planning on coming?" Angel accepted this idea immediately. He sounded somewhat excited as well.  
  
"I was sort of hoping that maybe you'd be able to pick me up where I am. And, I have a fri-" Christopher again covered my mouth.  
  
"You have a what? You have a friend with you? Then she can come for a bit or even the night," Angel said.  
  
"No, it's not a girl," I said to Angel. "I'm telling him. I think he needs to know and he's not going to do anything! I'll make sure, okay?" I said to Christopher.  
  
"It's a guy?" Angel asked, concerned now.  
  
"His name is Christopher. He's not of the living," I said. Christopher looked at me angrily. "I can't lie to him!" I cried.  
  
"Christopher-A demon?" He asked.  
  
"No, a vampire," I replied.  
  
"A WHAT? Rayne! He's not coming here! I don't think that's a good idea. If we're thinking of the same vampire, no! I'm going to get you now! Don't go anywhere!" Angel hung up the phone. Then I hung up, confused.  
  
"What was that? Why doesn't he like you?" I asked curiously.  
  
"He's going to kill me! I'll see you again, Rayne. But I have to leave now!" He kissed my cheeks and ran into the darkness.  
  
Confused and alone, I sat on the curb and waited for Angel. It was very warm outside, but still I shivered. It was probably the fear and confusion. And the pain. My heart was crying, I was now afraid of the night and what was in the dark, and I didn't know what to make of anything.  
  
I saw a silver car with tinted windows coming toward the station. For some reason I knew it was Angel. I stood up and picked up my belongings. The car pulled into the parking lot and Angel quickly jumped out of the driver's side.  
  
"Where is he?" Angel asked angrily.  
  
"He's gone. He ran. Don't worry about him, Angel. He's fine, I promise! He never once tried to hurt me! He came with a-never mind," I said, putting my things in the back seat as he indicated.  
  
"I'll catch the bastard some other time. Right now it's time to worry about you," Angel said, smiling as we both got into the front seats.  
  
"Yeah. This is my fresh, new beginning. I'm starting over. Everything has changed and I have no ground to stand, but I'm okay. Everything is going to be fine," I said.  
  
"Yes. This is a wonderful beginning to a wonderful new life. You'll be happy, I promise," Angel said, putting his hand on my shoulder.  
  
We drove into the city. I don't remember much because I was asleep. I woke up once when he was carrying me up a flight of stairs. This was my new beginning. 


	9. My Home

AN: I forgot this in the beginning... but now's a good time to bring it up. This story takes place after Conner's birth and after he goes into that Hell dimension, but before he returns.  
  
~*~*~  
  
"Rayne! It's time for school!" Angel called. I'd only moved in a week ago, and we were already like family. He was like the brother I never had, but a father as well. He was like an older adult friend, which he sort of was.  
  
"I'm almost finished! It's just taking so long for my hair to dry!" I shouted over the noise of the blow dryer.  
  
Living with Angel was nice. It was different and it was fun in ways. We talked a lot about my past. We didn't talk much about his and I left out parts that I wasn't comfortable telling. Getting into his little silver car, I felt comforted. It felt like this was how it was supposed to be. Angel started the car and 'Why Georgia' by John Mayer came on.  
  
"Everybody's just a stranger. That's the danger of going my way. I guess it's the path I have to take."  
  
"That sounds a lot like my life," Angel said, out of the blue. In just the same way, he left it to just hang there as the song continued.  
  
In ways I was still afraid of him. He was still a stranger somewhat. He was so mysterious, never speaking of his past or his life. He didn't talk about how he felt or even really express feelings at all. He was very different from anybody I'd ever met. He was only comfortable going outside at night. He wore long trench coats and hats and sunglasses when he went outside in the light. He would all but run to the car or wherever it was that we were going. All the windows in the house stayed closed up and were hidden behind curtains and blinds during the day as well. The windows in his car were tinted, too. It was almost impossible to see through them.  
  
This was very strange to me, but I never really thought much about it.  
  
"So what's going on today at work?" I attempted to start a conversation.  
  
"Work stuff," He said gruffly. "What about you and school?"  
  
"School stuff," I replied. "I'm being questioned today. I don't know why they've waited so long. They're questioning me about my dad. They could've asked before the funeral."  
  
"Maybe they think it might be easier for you now that you've had more time to deal with it," Angel said.  
  
"That's a possibility. I guess that makes sense. I don't know what I'm going to do. I've been ignoring my friends for a while. And I dropped cheerleading. Maybe I should get back into life. When am I going to meet Cordelia?" I asked.  
  
"Tonight, I promise. I know I've been getting your hopes up every night about that. But I promise tonight is the night," He answered. I smiled. I was really excited about meeting Cordelia. For the past six days, Angel had said only nice and wonderful things about her. Supposedly she could see things through visions. I couldn't wait to meet her... It sounded amazing.  
  
"Alright, as long as you promise," I said as we pulled up in front of the school. "I'll see you this afternoon then." I hugged him and grabbed my books as I jumped out of the car. Then I walked up the steps to the school as he drove away.  
  
~*~*~  
  
I hadn't really talked to anybody in a few days. All of my friends had conveniently been avoiding me and I'd been avoiding Evan. Today however, I was going to talk to Evan again, just to let him know that everything was okay. After I went to my locker, I began walking in the direction of the library. On my way, I received many strange looks and muttered comments. Everyone was convinced that I'd killed my father and the guy that had been found in the house. That was fine to me. I knew the truth and that was all that mattered.  
  
When I entered the library, I saw Evan sitting at the table, doing what I assumed was extra credit work or next week's homework and listen to a Discman. I advanced and tapped him on his shoulder.  
  
Evan looked up in shock and quickly pulled off his headphones. He seemed a bit nervous and even confused. He also looked like he hadn't gotten much sleep.  
  
"What're you listening to?" I asked. I smiled at him and he grinned back.  
  
"It's... It's John Mayer... Room For Squares," he stuttered. I giggled and nodded.  
  
"Awesome CD," I responded. He looked at me suspiciously, realizing that I hadn't really come for small talk.  
  
"What is it, Rayne?" Evan asked. "You haven't talked to me since your birthday. That was six days ago. It's Friday now and you're going to talk to me?" He didn't really sound angry, just a bit hurt and confused. I knew that he really didn't understand what had been going on and that was okay. I just hoped that he'd be okay with what I was about to tell him.  
  
"Yeah... I'm sorry about that. I was just worried that you would be afraid of me or think I was some sort of a fucking freak. My best friends have been avoiding me all week. I don't think I've seen Sandra or Maria look at me. They literally run in the opposite direction when they see me coming. They think that I killed my dad and Cyrus. It's crazy," I said, rolling my eyes.  
  
"You knew that dead guy that was in your house?" Evan asked curiously. "The police questioned me and I told them that I didn't think that you knew him because I'd never seen him before."  
  
"Thanks. That helps a lot... Won't seem as likely that I killed them. I met him that night... About an hour before they were killed..." I said. "I've been living with a friend all week. He's probably going to become my legal guardian after everything is cleared up."  
  
"What happened Rayne? DO you know what happened?" Evan forcefully asked. I didn't want to answer. I didn't think I was ready to tell the story again, but I was going to have to. This time I wasn't going to lie to him. I nodded sadly and I could feel my face fall as my look changed from indifference to pain and sorrow. Evan motioned for me to sit down and I did so very quickly.  
  
"He lied to me, Evan. My own father lied to me. He did this for sixteen years! But so did my mom..." I trailed off as my eyes began to water. I covered my face with my hands and I felt Evan pull me to him.  
  
"Shh..." He whispered in my ear. "It's okay. I know it's hard. Trust me, I know that it's hard. But it can only get better." I tried to calm myself and continued.  
  
"I had a sister. He never told me that. I lived with my grandmother for ten years! And why was this? Because my parents were afraid that it wouldn't be good for us to be together. So they get divorced and Mom takes Buffy who's now sixteen. Then I move in with Dad and only get to see Mom on my birthday!" I exclaimed, crying more.  
  
"I'm sure Hank didn't mean anything by it. He just wanted his daughters to be safe. You know your dad got bad feelings about a lot of things and they were usually caused by something. He didn't just make things up," Evan said softly, stroking my hair. I nodded.  
  
"I know. But he lied. Now it's too late. My mom died and now my sister is dead, too. To top it all off, my dad is dead now, too. I have nothing! I have no one but Angel now. And this crazy as power that I've got," I ranted.  
  
"Power?" Evan asked, intrigued.  
  
"Angela was a monster or something. Some sort of plant thing. SHE killed my dad and Cyrus. And I killed her. I'm some sort of monster killer... I don't remember what it was that they said. I remember there was this guy, Christopher though. He was... It was crazy. He said that he was a vampire," I said. Evan lifted me off of his shoulder and looked into my eyes. They were blood shot and teary and I tried to look away because I was ashamed, but he wouldn't let me.  
  
"Rayne! You're a vampire slayer?"  
  
"That's the term he used for it!" I cried out in excitement. I was excited that we'd rediscovered the word, not that Evan knew what it was. At that moment, the bell rang. "We have to get to class!"  
  
I hurriedly left the library and went to my English class. The entire day went much the same as all of the other ones except that I had Evan to talk to now. He understood me, too. He wasn't the least bit angry that I'd neglected to talk to him in a week and he was willing to help me.  
  
After school, Angel was there to pick me up, like the other days. This time, I brought Evan with me.  
  
"You don't mind if he comes over, do you?" I asked sweetly. I really hoped that it wouldn't bother him. Angel looked a bit annoyed, but he nodded.  
  
"The cops are already there. I don't know if they'd appreciate him being there, but I don't care," Angel said. I opened the door and pushed the seat forward so that Evan could get into the back. Then I sat in the front.  
  
"I thought they were going to question me at school. Oh well. The funerals are tomorrow. Are you going, Angel?" I asked. He shook his head and pulled away from the school.  
  
"I can take you there, but I can't stay. I would, but I've got so much work. Do you think you'd be able to get a ride to my office afterwards?" Angel asked.  
  
"Sure," Evan piped up. "My mom can take her. I'm going to be there. Where do you work?"  
  
"Angel Inc," I replied. "They named the place after him!"  
  
"That's because I founded it," Angel chuckled. "I get a kick out of you, Rayne. You're a trip." Evan laughed in agreement and I just tilted my head in confusion.  
  
The rest of the trip was silent, except for the Eve 6 CD that was playing. When we got to the house, we all got out and looked at the two police cars that were parked in the lot to the apartment building.  
  
"This is my new home, Evan. It's nice. It's not as big as Daddy's house was, but it's nice and new. It's comfortable, too," I said.  
  
Home... This was my home. This was home until I moved out or left. I couldn't see that happening unless I was to get married or get kicked out. But I couldn't see Angel kicking me out. We were happy there. He enjoyed my company and I didn't a parent. He said there was something about me... Something that reminded him of someone he'd loved once. It confused me and I left it alone. He was still a mystery to me, but I knew that one day I would figure him out or he would tell me what I wanted to know. This was home... My life... My world... 


End file.
